Mini Waffle Breakfast Sliders

I have a foodie confession: I like McDonald's Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle sandwiches. I know, they're gross. But, they'er not. Or at least not to me. I can take or leave most fast food breakfasts, but there's something about that warm thick fluffy maple flecked griddle cake that calls to me. And I can't resist the sweet savory combo when you add the sausage. Yummy! Or gross, or whatever. They are what they are. Like 'em or not.

Now that the weather has turned chilly here in my neck of the woods, I've been trying to come up with a quick, hot, breakfast on the go, for my kids. I've done breakfast sandwiches before. They're pretty good. I've done breakfast burritos, bunches of them to reheat in the AM. They're good too. I'll probably eventually make those before the winter's out. But I wanted to come up with something else. That's when my thoughts turned to my beloved McGriddle. You can see that these Mini Waffle Breakfast Sliders are a slightly healthier homage to the McGriddle. Give 'em a go.

The players: mini Eggo toaster waffles, cheese (any kind), bulk sausage (whatev is your fave), and eggs.

Start by toasting the waffles. However crispy you like 'em.

No, I'm not channeling Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters here. Keeping the waffles upright and separated keeps them crispy.

Whisk up the eggs (I used 6) in a 8x8 inch microwave safe dish. Microwave on high 30 seconds at a time until egg is set and cooked through. Do not stir. Watch closely. They can go from done to overdone in a split second and end up dry, rubbery and gross.

If you want to be clever, you can use a cookie cutter that's just slightly bigger than the mini waffles to cut out disks of egg. Or, to be more efficient, just cut squares of egg big enough to fit on the waffles. (With the circle cutter I got 9 egg disks, if I had cut squares, I probably could have had more.)

Divide the bulk sausage and form into patties, again, slightly larger than the waffle. (They'll shrink as they cook.) Count on about 1 oz. of sausage per slider. Cook them thoroughly in a skillet set over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel to absorb any grease.

To assemble, lay out the mini waffles that have been separated. Place an egg disk on one waffle and a sausage patty on the other.

Top with a slice of cheese. Stack them up and you have your breakfast sliders.

If you want the waffle to be crispy, then make and eat these the same day. Or you could make the egg disks and grill up the sausage a day or two ahead then reheat them in the microwave and toast a fresh waffle. You can also try using lean turkey sausage, or bacon or whatever. You can change the cheese up as well. How about swapping out the mini waffles for mini pancakes. Seriously, lots of ways you can go here. My kids gave these two thumbs up. Give 'em a try.

There's no real recipe here, but here's what you need to make 4 sliders. 

(You can do the math to make more.)

Mini Waffle Breakfast Sliders

makes 4 sandwiches

2 whole (connected) Eggo Mini Waffles

4 oz. bulk sausage (1 oz. per slider)

1 slice cheese, divided into 4 squares

3 eggs

Toast waffles according to package directions.

Form sausage into 1 oz. (1/2 dollar sized) patties and pan fry over medium heat until cooked through.

Beat eggs in a shallow dish and microwave in 30 second intervals until egg is set.

Divide egg equally over 4 separated waffle sections. Top with a sausage patty, a 1/4 of a cheese slice and another waffle section.